Today, children are surrounded by “smart” devices that did not exist a mere decade ago. For example, a cellular phone (also known as a mobile or cell phone) was used mainly to make and receive phone calls. Nowadays, a smart phone can function as a personal digital assistant, a portable media player, an Internet browser, a gaming device, a camera, an electronic book reader, a flash light, and so on, in addition to making and receiving phone calls, text messages, and e-mails.
As cellular phones continue to grow in functionality and popularity, they have become accessible to young children or even toddlers. Smart phone applications such as Toddler Lock™ and others demonstrate the aspirational status of mobile phones as it relates to children as young as 12-24 months of age. However, mobile phones are not toys and can be quite expensive. Parents may not want to hand a child an expensive cell phone and risk damaging the phone, not to mention risking the child accidently deleting an application or e-mail, hanging up on a call, inadvertently answering a call, or some other unintended consequence attributed to the child. Also, the potential health risks associated with exposure to electromagnetic radio frequency waves or low-level radiation emitted by these phones is a concern. Further, mobile phones open a child up to the dangers associated with undesirable exposure to inappropriate content as well as access to/from people with whom the parent(s) of that child may not want their child to have communication access. Toy phones, on the other hand, are designed to be entertaining, age-appropriate, safe, and are relatively inexpensive. Although toy phones may resemble a variety of mobile phone handsets, they generally provide very limited, if any, functions other than ring tones and prerecorded messages, and entirely lack any capability of actual over-the-airwaves communication or smart functionality.
Currently, there is not a clear bridge between mobile phones and toy phones. Further, there is not a safe communication device solution for children that allows for complete and total usage controls by the parent affording them the peace of mind they desire when contemplating giving their child a traditional mobile phone. Consequently, there is room for innovations and improvements.